1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a distribution management device, a distribution management method, a program storage medium and a distribution management system. More particularly, the present inventions are suitably applied to a distribution management system utilizing a telecommunication network for controlling the distribution and stocks of merchandise.
2. Description of the Related Art
Distribution management systems are physical distribution systems which utilize the communication network.
In such physical distribution systems, multiple communication terminals for households are connected via the Internet to an information database that is the source of supply of, for example, musical data.
Moreover, each information database is connected to a center server for controlling these databases via the specific communication line, and the center server is connected with the maker server for controlling the merchandise, the physical distribution managing server for controlling the delivery of merchandise and the billing control server for controlling the processing of electronic settlement of accounts via the distribution only receive/dispatch order managing server to control the physical distribution and money via the specific communication line.
Then, in such physical distribution system, if the client accesses the shopping site via the network by means of the communication terminal and selects the desired merchandise from the merchandise catalog available at the shopping site and orders this, this ordered data is transmitted to the receive/dispatch order managing server through the information database and the center server.
Thus, the receive/dispatch order managing server, after confirming that the merchandise ordered is available for delivery by the maker server based on the order data, delivers the merchandise to the client's home (owner of the communication terminal) or the nearby convenience store, and electronically settles accounts for payment of that merchandise by the billing control server. And thus, the electronic settlement of accounts using the network can be realized.
But with the diversification of sales channels in recent years, new sales channels outside the network are utilized in addition to the sales channel network of the physical distribution system. Thus, the stocks are controlled based on the order data to be obtained via the network in the sales channel which utilizes the network, and in the sales channel of sales companies outside the network. The market demand is thus predicted per a fixed period of time such as per month and the stock is controlled based on that prediction.
In the sales channel utilizing the network, the merchandise ordered is directly delivered to the client from the stock holding maker. Thus, the actual sales conditions of merchandise including the transition of merchandise ordered and the quantity of merchandise sold can be grasped and the stock can be controlled almost correctly.
However, in the sales channel utilized by sales companies outside the network, the sales company controls the stock based on the independently predicted result of the market demand per the fixed period of time independently. Therefore, it is difficult for the maker to grasp the actual sales condition of the merchandise in the sales companies correctly and thus, there are cases where the merchandise are left unsold, or contrary to this, the merchandise is sold out and the maker cannot cope with the client's demand.
Accordingly, in such physical distribution systems, the stock can be secured most correctly in the sales channel which utilizes the network. However, in the sales channel excluding the network it has been difficult to secure the stock correctly.